Thehighroad - Lewis

Today we travelled through time visiting Standing Stones from 5000 years ago, an Iron Age house dated somewhere between 400-800AD, a prehistoric Broch from 2,300 - 1,900 years ago and finally a Blackhouse Village that was finally abandoned in 1974. That's probably enough to take in for one day - our brains were hurting at the end of it all! Really though it was another wonderful day with brilliant sunshine some of the time and the usual impressive scenery. As usual the pictures don't do it all justice but that's the best I can offer I'm afraid.

early morning view from our room in Stornoway

Looking towards the hills on south Harris

Iron Age house reconstructed on the site of a small village on the Island of Great Bernera which is connected by a short bridge to H&L which was only built in 1953

Set on a little creek (burn?) in a sheltered hollow by the beach. Nice spot for a campsite really.

a smaller site than the "larger" and more visited Callanish Standing Stones. Numerous other sites abound within a few kms of the main site.

Much taller than the smaller Callenish sites 2 and 3.

Carloway Broch designed to impress and defend. Probably the homes of tribal leaders and other important leaders of the community.

It is a remarkably well preserved broch - on the east side parts of the old wall still reach to 9 metres tall.

Obviously the entrance wasn't intended for folks our height or maybe they were intentionally low to force any intruders to duck down to enter, thus exposing themselves to defenders inside?

This sheep seemed to be in charge and watched us all the way out of the Broch!

The restored Gearrannan Blackhouse Village - fascinating insight into how the crofters lived from the 17th Century until the last inhabitants were rehoused in new houses in the village in 1974.

The interior of one of the houses - the peat smoke was almost overwhelming!

The stone walls and thatched roofs were probably scant protection from the storms that must have blown in from the Atlantic.